Sunday, June 17, 2012

My wife and I just got back from vacation in Maine. We make the trip to Bar Harbor every couple years or so to visit family. While I'm there I also try to take some new shots. This time I was determined to get a decent shot of the Bass Harbor Lighthouse. After scoping it out earlier in the day, I decided that around sunset may be the best time to shoot it. I headed back out there with my brother-in-law Brad (One of Bar Harbor's Finest!) on Tuesday evening. The clouds were thick, but I was hoping that the sun would breakthrough near the horizon. It never did and here was what I ended up with...

Not a bad shot but not quite what I was hoping for.

Wednesday was a washout. Rained most of the day and Diane and I ended up going off of Mount Desert Island back to the mainland where I took some photos of some junked up houses and the lupines (purple flowers), that dominate the land. On our way back we stopped by the grocery store to pick up some things for dinner, then headed back to Bar Harbor... or so we thought. Two miles before the bridge back to the island we ran into some backed up traffic. We waited. And waited. It turned out that a truck was in an accident with a tour bus that was leaking propane... right at the bridge. They closed the bridge and it did not reopen again for almost 6 hours! We didn't get back to the house until 10:30pm!

We decided to stay an extra night, so Thursday was my last chance at the lighthouse. This time not a cloud in the sky. I actually would have preferred some clouds for the sunlight to play off of, but you take what you can get. This time I was alone as I scrambled down the rocks to the shoreline with my tripod and camera. The sun was just going behind the rocks... A slight miscalculation on my part. I thought I would be able to see the sun meeting the water, but at this time of the year, the sun is about as Northwest as its gonna get before it starts heading due west again. I snapped off a quick shot before I even set up the tripod as the sun disappeared behind the shoreline...

Now, I figured my only chance at a decent shot would be to wait until after sunset and see if I could get some nice color out of the sky. I switched to my wide angle lens so I could get more of the rocks in the foreground while still getting the top of the pine trees next to the light house. I was there for over and hour as the night approached and the other photogs that had been camping out left. The mosquitoes came out in full force. Even though I had sprayed "Off" on me, they were still having me for dinner. I was bracketing my shots, taking one at 2 stops under exposure, a second right on and a third 2 stops over exposed so that I could combine them into a single shot later. This way the sky wouldn't blow out all the detail in the lighthouse and rocks. The longer I stayed the more vibrant the color got on the shoreline. It was also getting darker, so my exposures were getting longer and longer, helping to smooth out the waves in the water. I was quickly losing my battle against the mosquitoes and at about a quarter to nine, I fired off my final 3 shots and called it a night. When I returned home I put the final 3 shots through the HDR processing with Photomatix...

I was pretty satisfied with the result. Except for that red blur in the water. I thought it was pretty cool at the time I was shooting it that the light from the lighthouse was reflecting in the water, but it just ended up looking like a distracting red blob. When I went into Photoshop to make additional tweaks in the brightness and contrast levels, I took out the reflection. After a final cropping, I'm pretty happy with the end result...

Sunday, October 2, 2011

7 National Parks if you count my short jaunts through The
Capital Reef and Canyonlands.

Thousands of snaps of my shutter…

And not nearly enough time.I could have easily spent a week at any one of these great parks.Still, I’m amazed and thrilled at all that I
saw.It truly was the photo adventure of
my lifetime.

Some random thoughts…

People are friendly.I had a slight bit of trepidation going out on this trip alone.Yes, I figured I would speak to my wife every
evening if I was getting cell service, but, for the most part I’d be
alone.That could not have been further
from the case.Photogs always seem to
congregate at the best spots and most are often willing and delighted to share
their love of the hobby and or profession with others.I would be out at 4 or 5 in the morning and
there would always be a few folks to share the time with.I would join strangers for a drink or dinner
after a day of shooting.It was not a
lonely endeavor.Some of these folks I
hope to keep in touch with.

They come from all over.Everywhere I went, but I noticed this especially on my trip down into Bryce Canyon,
I heard a myriad of languages.Some I
could identify… German, French, Swedish, Italian… many I could not.I think at least a few were from off-world.It made me feel glad that folks would come
from far off, just to see the wonders of this great land.

Don’t forget the sunblock, water or the hiking shoes.Hey, most of the time I remembered 2 out of
3.

Sirius-XM Radio kicks serious ass!During the first week of my travels I had a
rental with this amazing collection of stations and I wasn’t sure I could ever
go back.The 70’s station and one of the
Blues stations were at the top of my list.

If you are on an airplane and already feeling nauseous, do
not eat.Even if it’s a four hour plus
trip.

And finally, I have to go back to Arches.Especially to conquer that one hill!

Thursday morning I got up at about 5:30 and headed out to
shoot my final Arch.Mesa Arch is
actually in the nearby Canyonlands
National Park and I had
heard it was a good subject for sunrises.

When I got to the parking area at the trail-head, the lot was
already full of cars.I guess other
folks had heard about it too!It was a
short 15 minute walk to the arch and when I arrived, there were already a bunch
of photographers that had staked out their claims with their tripods.After asking, I was able to squeeze in
between two of them to get my shots.Unlike Delicate Arch, there wasn’t going to be any moving around for
different angles.Mesa Arch is also a
lot smaller. As a matter of fact all of the photographers were planted right up
next to it, so close you could touch it.This was so they could get the angle of the sun coming up. As the morning got brighter the under side of the arch began to glow with the warm reflection of the daylight.

I put on my wide 10-22mm lens and hoped for the best.Luckily, I was able to get most of the entire
arch in the shot.Some latecomers
weren’t so lucky.One suggested, “Hey
guys, if we all back up 10 feet we can all get the shot and get the whole
arch.”

The guy next to me said, “You’re high, Dude!We ain’t moving.”These guys were hardcore.He showed the guy that made the suggestion
that he was able to get the whole thing in his viewfinder and suggested to the
fellow that next time he may want to come with the right gear.Ouch.

Another guy toward the back was setting off his flash and
quickly got scolded, “Hey, quit with the flashes!Some of us are doing time-lapse, Dude!”

“Dude” seemed to be the proper way of addressing someone
during this outing.

Anyway, as they counted down the minutes to the sunrise
another latecomer decided he could plant his tripod right next to mine.His camera was about 2 inches away and it was
difficult for me to even adjust the controls on my own camera.I was also worried that with all his futzing
around so close to me, he would knock my camera and tripod over the edge and
into the abyss on the other side of the arch.He was Asian and did not seem to be able to speak English, so I just
gave him a dirty look.I took some pre
dawn shots then switched to a brand new card (with some difficulty because of
the cramped space) since the one I was using was getting close to full.

The sun came up.We
all got our shots… Then I ran into a bit of trouble.

My camera was stuck in a “busy” mode.Kind of like when it’s processing an image by
adding noise reduction, but it wouldn’t stop.I tried shutting the camera off, but to no avail.The camera was still stuck in its processing
mode.Could the brand new card be
faulty?I was at my wit’s end.I asked the crowd if they had any
suggestions.The only thing to do seemed
to be to eject the card or the battery.Either option could corrupt the data on the card, losing all the
shots.It was finally decided after
about 5 more minutes that popping out the battery would be the lesser of two
evils.I took the camera off the tripod,
clicked the lid open, and just before I hit eject, the camera ended its busy
mode and was once again working.

Relieved, that all was well, after checking the pictures, I
took a few shots hand held and then went to put my camera back on the
tripod.The Asian guy that had been
invading my personal space had moved my tripod!“Not cool, DUDE!” I exclaimed.

I got a “So sorry” in response.The sun was getting higher the moment had
passed.At least I got my sunrise
shot.I took some shots of the thinning
crowd and then headed back to camp, where I packed up and started the long
drive back toward the Vegas airport where I would be flying out of the
following day.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

After my humiliating defeat on the previous hike, I returned
to the camp a beaten man. I saw that my loud neighbors from the night before
had moved on... well at least that was good. I took a shower, wrote one
of the blogs and then tried to get in a little nap before going on the hike for
Delicate Arch. Taking a nap inside that hot tent was not cutting it, so I
opted to get a little rest inside the air conditioned car.

I must’ve dozed off for a little bit, because suddenly it
was 5:30.I still had to drive back into
Arches and head up the trail. It took nearly a half an hour to get to the
trailhead. I asked some folks that had just returned how long it took to get to
the arch and they said about an hour (even though it’s only a mile and half
away.The printed guide listed the hike
in their “Strenuous Trails” category, here is part of the official
description…

Length: 3 miles round
trip.

Elevation Change: 480
feet

Take at least 2
quarts of water per person.Open
slickrock with some exposure to heights and no shade.The first half-mile is a well defined trail.Upon reaching the slickrock, follow the rock cairns… yada, yada,
yada…

I lightened my camera bag as much as I could (got rid of the
telephoto lens and a few other things and headed up.It was 6 pm. If I could make it in an hour I
would get there just in time for sunset.Hopefully.

Once again, it was hot, but at least with the sun’s low
angle, it wasn’t beating down on me.The
blood was pumping as I started heading up the “Slickrock” which is essentially
a giant hill made of rock.Oh, and I
forgot the hiking shoes again as well.I
had to take several water breaks as I made my way up that hill that seemed to
have no end.I also forgot my trusty
sweat rag/bandana, so I had to use my hat to mop up my face!

Finally it leveled off for a bit, but I was
only about halfway there.I was thinking
that if I didn’t make the sunset I could at least get some dusk shots.I was in a shaded area, blocked by the
cliffs, so I couldn’t tell how low the sun was.

As I pushed on, some folks were already heading back.I guess they didn’t want to get caught in the
dark. They were saying “You’re almost there… Just around the bend…”Sure enough as I rounded the corner, there it
was!The sun was still another 5 minutes
or so from setting.I snapped off a
quick pick, then, chose a couple of spots to set up with the tripod.It was great! The arch is massive! I’m including a shot with some folks under it
so you can get a sense of scale.

After some coaxing from others that made the trip, people got out from under the arch so that the shutterbugs could go to town. People applauded the sunset and started
heading down.I stuck around a little
longer to get some after sunset shots and quickly debated whether or not to
stay until the stars came out.

I had serious doubts about being able to make it back on my
own in the darkness.Sometimes those
rock cairns
(path markers) can be pretty far apart and it probably would have been pretty
easy for me to get off the beaten path coming down that giant stone hill and
picking up the path again.

While up there at the top I befriended a young married couple
from Indianapolis,
Chris and Abby.I think they said they
were celebrating their 4 year anniversary?Anyway, we were the last ones there and they offered to make the trip
back with me… and am I glad they did!Chris is a member of the National Guard and had been through some pretty
extensive survival training.We weren’t
even halfway back yet and we were in total darkness.Abby and I had our headlamps, Chris didn’t
need one!This guy could see in the
dark.With no moon, the only natural
light was from the starlight.It was a
long but enjoyable trip back as I got to know them.A few times we turned off our lights just to
gaze up at the stars.I am really going
to miss seeing such an amazing sky at night.

Back at the bottom I thanked them for their company and we
said our goodbyes, they still had a 4 hour trip ahead of them in their car. Hope it was a safe trip, you two!

I wasn’t done shooting for the night.I decided to drive down toward Balancing Rock
where I ran into a few more nightscape photogs.I took several shots of the rock and then did a long exposure with some
star trails.

It was really only about a 20 minute shot and probably
should have been maybe at least an hour, but I needed to get back to camp so I
could get up early for my final morning of shooting before it was time to start
the journey home.Anyway, I’m calling
this one “Star Child” cuz it kinda reminds me of the end of 2001: A Space
Odyssey!

When I returned from the restaurant Tuesday night, all I wanted to do was hit the hay, er, sleeping bag. Unfortunately, my neighbors in the camp right behind mine thought it was okay to party until 2:30 in the morning. The camps at this off park site, were very close together. These people were probably no more than 15 feet away from me. It was 2 guys and a girl and the longer the night went on, the louder she got. Let me tell you, you haven't heard "Hey Jude" until you've heard it with an off key drunk German accent.

In the morning I was wiped and got kind of a late start. After breakfast, I headed back into Arches and took some shots as I made my way to the end of the park, where the Devil's Garden hike begins.

About a mile into the hike is Landscape Arch...

I imagine it's called that because it kind of blends in with the landscape until you get closer to it and can see the sky through the arch. It's very long and thin and I wonder how long it will be able to defy gravity. Then it was on to the Double "O" Arch. This part of the hike is listed as "difficult with many elevation changes, rocky footing and some exposure to heights," meaning cliffs.

They weren't kidding by calling this "difficult." my heart was pounding as I gained elevation. Shortly after I started this part of the hike, I climbed a rocky hill to a point where there were some large rocks you had to climb up and around, right next to a nice little drop off....

The rock surface was pretty smooth, like an idiot, I had put on my sneakers instead of my hiking shoes. On top of this, my photo backpack was weighing me down and I was a bit off balance. With the tripod attached, it was probably close to 30 pounds. Other folks were having trouble negotiating that area, going in both directions. Some needed help. With the hot noon time sun beating down on me (unlike Bryce Canyon it was a much warmer day and there was no cloud cover), I made a decision to turn around and go back. I wimped out and was very disappointed and depressed about it.

On the way back I was muttering things like "Hikes are for people that don't have cars" and "They should either move the roads closer to the arches, or the arches close to the roads!"

I planned on hitting Delicate Arch (probably the most famous) in the late afternoon. Another difficult hike and it would be even hotter. We'll see how that went in the next installment...

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Bryce Canyon was pretty low on my list. I had never heard much about it but several folks I know talked it up. And what the heck, it was on the way to Arches from Zion so I thought I should check it out.

After driving to a few of the overlooks, I decided to go for a hike into the canyon. All I can say is WOW. The place is magnificent. It feels as if there is a magic to the land. Formations and views that shouldn't really exist except maybe in a Road Runner cartoon.

I combined two of the suggested hikes. The Queen's Garden and the Navajo Loop. The park paper calls it "The World's Best 3-Mile Hike!" It took over four hours to get to the bottom and climb my way back to the top. It seemed like I had to stop every 50 feet or so to take another picture. Good thing too, because I needed lots of breaks before reaching the top. The guide listed it as a moderate hike. All I can say is good thing I quit smoking 4 years ago.

When I got to the top, I treated myself to a beer, it was bliss.

Tomorrow, I head to Arches. It was at the top of my list. Now it seems like it's got a lot to live up to after Bryce Canyon.

Right now, it's a little after 10 at night and a fellow from Germany just invited me over for a beer. It'll be the second best beer I've had all day!

I was on the road fairly early from Bryce Canyon... Well after breakfast at Ruby's Diner, it was probably a little after 8 am. Btw, if I didn't mention it before the "Ruby" family seems to own the whole town. What little town there is, anyway.

I decided to take the scenic route, that would bring me off the beaten path...

It also brought me through Capitol Reef National Park. Now this REALLY is Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote territory.

After all the stopping to shoot photos it probably took me about 8 hours to get to Moab where I checked into the first campground I could find (nothing was available in the park).

After that I headed into Arches National Park and after a bit of scouting, I picked out a spot to shoot my first Arch. The daylight was waning, so this was gonna be it for the day. I stuck around for about an hour after sunset for some more starlight pictures and as I walked back up the trail, I nearly bumped into another photog that was trying his hand at star trails. My headlamp pretty much messed up his shot as I headed back up the path in the darkness. We got to talking and then ended up having dinner and a beer together back in town at a fine dining establishment known as Bucks. Sorry I messed up your shot, Keith! I probably should have at least paid for his beer!

After that I got back to the camp and turned in at around 11:00... in what became a very long night...